ASPO Abstracts
Racial Differences in Liver Cancer Incidence and Risk Factors Among a Low Socioeconomic Population
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2021
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Liver cancer incidence in the United States is higher among African Americans compared to Whites. The
purpose of this study was to examine differences in risk factors associated with liver cancer among Whites and
African Americans from low socioeconomic backgrounds in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS).
Methods: The SCCS is a prospective cohort study with participants from the southeastern US. Liver cancer
incidence rates were calculated. Multivariable Cox regression was used to calculate liver cancer adjusted hazard
ratios (aHR) associated with known baseline liver cancer risk factors for Whites and African Americans,
separately.
Results: There were 294 incident liver cancers. The incidence rate ratio for liver cancer was higher (IRR=1.4,
95%CI: 1.1-1.9) in African Americans compared to Whites. Whites saw a stronger association between self-
reported Hepatitis C Virus (aHR= 19.24, 95%CI: 10.58-35.00) and diabetes (aHR= 3.55, 95%CI: 1.96-6.43) for the
development of liver cancer compared to African Americans (aHR= 7.73, 95%CI: 5.71-10.47 and aHR = 1.48,
95%CI: 1.06-2.06, respectively) even though the prevalence of these risk factors was similar between races (Table
1). Smoking (aHR= 2.91, 95%CI: 1.87-4.52) and heavy alcohol consumption (aHR= 1.59, 95%CI: 1.19-2.11) use
were significantly associated with liver cancer risk among African Americans only.
Conclusions: In this large prospective cohort, we observed racial differences in liver cancer incidence and risk
factors associated with liver cancer among African Americans and Whites. Understanding liver cancer risk
differences can assist prevention strategies that target people at high risk, potentially based on risk factors that
differ by race.
Keywords: Hepatitis C virus (HCV), epidemiology, health disparities, Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS)